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Opinions on this training technique

So I would love y'alls opinions on a trainer who put a sensitve thoroughbred mare in a knife-edge bit and in a bitting rig, and kept her in the cross-ties for two hours. She claimed this was to "teach the mare a lesson." I am not sure what lesson this would actually teach a horse, but would love everyone's input. Thanks much!

How about some background. What did the mare do? How do you know she is sensitive? Did you ask the trainer directly why she did that or just overhear "this will teach her a lesson"? How was the mare in the crossties: was she freaking out and struggling? Was she straining against the bitting rig and thus bit? Did she just stand there? Were you there for the whole two hours?

I am a firm believer that a bit is only as harsh as the hands that hold it. If the mare was quiet and stood bitted up in the cross ties for two hours, I don't really see what it would accomplish. I also wouldn't see it as being all that mean.

If the mare struggled and freaked out for two hours, well, I'd imagine she was in a bit of pain by the end. Again, I don't see what it would teach the horse.

Sounds like the trainer holds a bit of a "grudge" against this horse. Probably was trying to make the horse submissive to contact and wasn't getting anywhere in the saddle, so this was her way of "teaching it a lesson". I've seen trainers put horse in a stall with side reins for maybe 30 mins or less, but doing that with a KNIFE EDGE for TWO HOURS is cruel punishment. If that was my horse, or my trainer doing that to any horse, I'd be finding somewhere else to ride without question.

What type of bit was it again? I know of a horse that decided to have tantrums, so owner sent it to a reining barn for some lessons - basically that mare was in "work" all day, sometimes round pen work sometimes they'd leave her tacked up & tied in her stall/ maybe they used a bitting rig, maybe not... but prior to her going off to cowboy camp she spent alot of time on 2 legs, didn't matter if it was the front 2 or the back 2 but a pair was usually someplace in the air; after 2 months at camp.. that mare never took 2 feet off the ground except when asked to... owner said it was the best money she'd ever spent.

Also called a triangle bit, I think. They aren't THAT sharp, though the one I inherited has only been pulled off the wall for exactly ONE horse. They are kind of a step between a slow twist and a corkscrew, really (also things I rarely use).

This does seem like a silly post, though. Do you really think people are going to say it seems like a good idea, especially with zero info beyond what is stated?

I know of a well respected A show facility where the trainers often put side reins on their ponies in their stalls for severals hours a day. One night they forgot to take off the side reins on one pony and found her the next morning with their tongue half cut off and blood everywhere. Luckily the tongue was stitched back on and the pony went on to have a successful show career. You bet your butt that she never accepted the bit after that though, she was happy going around with her nose poked out all day long. Seems like a GREAT training method to me

I know of a well respected A show facility where the trainers often put side reins on their ponies in their stalls for severals hours a day. One night they forgot to take off the side reins on one pony and found her the next morning with their tongue half cut off and blood everywhere. Luckily the tongue was stitched back on and the pony went on to have a successful show career. You bet your butt that she never accepted the bit after that though, she was happy going around with her nose poked out all day long. Seems like a GREAT training method to me

Hm. Makes me wonder if the scar across my POA's tongue was caused by this sort of training method. He takes the bit with no problems, though, so maybe it was just his ability to "find the sharp object in the padded room".

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I know of a well respected A show facility where the trainers often put side reins on their ponies in their stalls for severals hours a day. One night they forgot to take off the side reins on one pony and found her the next morning with their tongue half cut off and blood everywhere. Luckily the tongue was stitched back on and the pony went on to have a successful show career. You bet your butt that she never accepted the bit after that though, she was happy going around with her nose poked out all day long. Seems like a GREAT training method to me

Could have been an accident too. I saw a horse cut several inches of its tounge off on a stall latch. It was a 1/2 stall door and the horse liked to reach over and fuss with the latch. He had done it many times before with no issue and no one really identified it as being unsafe-- and then one day he was doing it and cut off part of his tounge. Talk about BLOOD EVERYWHERE. The vet reattached it and he went on to be fine.

Do you really need to ask? If this is exactly what happened, with no details glorified, NO decent horse person would allow their horse to be in training with this trainer. The point is that you know how you feel and you feel strongly enough that if anyone has a different opinion, are they going to change yours? I'm sorry but what exactly is the point of this thread??

Do you really need to ask? If this is exactly what happened, with no details glorified, NO decent horse person would allow their horse to be in training with this trainer. The point is that you know how you feel and you feel strongly enough that if anyone has a different opinion, are they going to change yours? I'm sorry but what exactly is the point of this thread??

I am guessing she is trying to "out" the trainer?? That being said, it is a "training method", albeit not a good one. I have seen and heard of it used in some disciplines.